Cooling air guide devices for motor vehicles provide a flow connection between air intake openings and the cooling components, such as heat exchangers of diverse cooling loops of the motor vehicle.
Vehicles are known that have a so-called hybrid front for receiving and fastening components of a cooling device or a cooling module. A cooling air guide is an integral component of the hybrid front. It is designed in such a manner that a polyurethane (PU) foam strip installed on the hybrid front, after installation of a bumper fascia, hermetically encloses cooling air openings provided in the panel or in the radiator grille and externally seals them and thus allows targeted air flow, which is as efficient as possible, through the cooling air guide to the cooling components.
In the case of such designs, it has been shown to be disadvantageous in particular in the event of vehicle collisions in the lower velocity range that the entire hybrid front is sometimes massively damaged due to the implementation of hybrid front and cooling air guide in the form of a single molded part. For repair purposes, the entire hybrid front must be replaced in these cases, which is accompanied by comparatively high repair costs.
Furthermore, a front end panel for a motor vehicle is known from DE 101 17 278 A is situated on the rear side of a bumper section to absorb an impact force, and acts on the front side of a vehicle. Moreover, the end panel has a panel body section produced from plastic and a guide channel section implemented integrally thereon, a heat exchanger being incorporated in the panel body section and the guide channel section protruding toward the front side of the vehicle, in order to guide air into the heat exchanger.
Furthermore, a flexible section is provided, which is situated on the end of the guide channel section and is integrally implemented together with the guide channel section, the flexible section being produced from flexible material, whose mechanical strength is less than that of the panel body section.
In the case of a configuration of this type, the impact forces arising during a collision occurring in the lower velocity range and acting on the bumper can be at least partially compensated for, in order to avoid damage to the front structure of the motor vehicle.
However, the individual cooling components are fixedly installed in the front structure and form a type of front module together with the bumper, which is fastened on the vehicle body structure behind it, for example, the longitudinal girders. Because of the comparatively rigid configuration of the cooling components on the front end panel, however, deformation and damage on the cooling components are already a concern in the case of collisions in the lower velocity range, which requires costly and sometimes complex repair of these components.
It is therefore at least one object of the present invention to provide a cooling air guide device for the cooling components of a motor vehicle which is improved with respect to crash behavior and with respect to its cooling-air-guiding properties. The cooling air guide device is to absorb collisions in the lower velocity range and also protect the cooling components from damage. Also provided is an improved air intake for the internal combustion engine of the vehicle and a cooling air guide which is optimized with respect to weight and cost outlay. In addition, other objects, improvements, desirable features, and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.